Scenes from an Unfinished War
Author | : Daniel P. Bolger |
Publisher | : |
Total Pages | : 184 |
Release | : 1991 |
ISBN-10 | : STANFORD:36105211180893 |
ISBN-13 | : |
Rating | : 4/5 ( Downloads) |
Download or read book Scenes from an Unfinished War written by Daniel P. Bolger and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper discusses the extended period of low-intensity conflict that North Korea conducted against South Korea in the mid to late 1960s. This period of hostilities had its dramatic moments, such as the seizure of the USS Pueblo, but for the most part, the tactics consisted of propaganda, infiltration, assassination plots, and guerrilla warfare. Because the war in Vietnam overshadowed these developments, the "unfinished war" in Korea has largely been ignored by military officers studying the nature and demands of modern warfare. In this sense, the label "forgotten war," often applied to the conventional war of the early 1950s, is much more applicable to the conflict on the peninsula from 1966 to 1969. It describes in detail the vast range of military operations short of war that an adversary can employ against countries supported by the United States, and assesses how allied forces can adapt to the unexpected and devise countermeasures that, if not completely effective, can at least disrupt the designs of the adversary so he cannot obtain his primary objectives. Through the exemplary leadership of General Charles H. Bonesteel III, it demonstrates the importance of personality in warfare and the essential need for officers to recognize the dominance of political considerations at the lower end of the conflict spectrum.